But before you think we’ve gone a little bit mad, we’re talking about getting rid of wall clutter rather than your wardrobe.

Laminated print outs, leaflets left by various visitors over the years and infection control signs that have been on the wall for so long that they’re a potential biohazard themselves are probably a familiar sight. You see them every day but, honestly, when was the last time you stopped and read any of them? And would you even notice if someone added another one to the makeshift gallery adorning the walls?

Sometimes less really is more. An environment with less clutter is more supportive for those going through treatment as well as those who provide it so, we’re on a mission to strip walls back to their birthday suits.

These masses of signs are untidy to look at, but they’re also one of the most common causes of wall clutter and can quickly become a visual stressor for everyone who uses a ward. The sheer volume of information, and sometimes the information itself, can leave patients feeling uneasy about their treatment, less confident about their journey back to health and simply unable to concentrate on getting better.

This makes the job of nursing staff that much harder as patients they’re trying to care for are more stressed and anxious. On top of that, wall clutter also makes the environment itself more stressful to try and work in, too.

So, what if you stripped away the print outs, posters and notices? Wouldn’t that make the hospital environment better for everyone?

When your walls are wearing nothing, patients aren’t confronted with multiple things to look at, all competing for their attention. This gives them the chance to focus on the most important thing of all: getting better. In turn, this makes the lives of nursing staff easier too; patients who aren’t as anxious and stressed about their surroundings will likely be more receptive to treatment.

As beneficial as naked walls are, we don’t think they’re the most exciting of things to look at. The other benefit of stripping them bare, though, is that it gives you opportunity to add some intentional decoration to your wards.

Intentional decoration enhances the feel of a hospital environment, making it a better place to be. It takes into consideration design elements like colour psychology and appropriate imagery so that patients respond to the place where they’re trying to get better in a more positive way. Research shows that this can also help improve treatment outcomes too.

One of the best ways to add intentional decoration within a hospital is by using WallGlamour.

In this walkway, we were able to create a better environment for everyone who uses it by removing the clutter from the walls and enhancing them with carefully customised WallGlamour. The green hues are calming and relaxing and the image is abstract enough to not require too much of a person’s focus whilst they’re moving through the space. This leaves them to concentrate on the things that matter, rather than having to face the disappointment of spotting a sign for a bake sale and then realising it was last week!

The other benefit of using WallGlamour is that it lessens the temptation to start replacing the old notices that you spent all that time removing with new ones!

Of course, the notices that you find on the walls of corridors would have once had a good reason for being there. Often though, even when they’ve finished serving their purpose, they’re not taken down. Why? Because nobody tells you when they can be taken down.

Simply stripping bare the walkways within a hospital removes a huge amount of wall clutter, helping patients feel more at ease when they’re trying to get better and providing staff with a less stressful environment to work in. Naked walls also provide you with a blank canvas that can intentionally decorated to enhance the hospital for everyone who uses it and prevent another epidemic of wall clutter.

Want to find out more about how we can help your hospital get naked? Get in touch and we’ll show you how we can make your walls work better for everyone.

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We believe passionately that where patients recover, the quality of the environment around them directly influences how they recover and that good hospital interior design has an essential role in good healthcare. Grosvenor Interiors Healthcare Division provides inspiring and uplifting hospital interiors to aid recovery. Our aim is to create better spaces to get better in.